AZ educators attend 4-star junket

For nearly a week this month, Arizona teachers partied a lot at a four-star resort in Tucson during a federally required conference, reports KNXV ABC-15 in a copyrighted story. And Huppenthal is mad has hell about it, saying those who took advantage of the system will be held accountable. “Teachers were there for training, but we spotted dozens of teachers working on their tans, lounging at the pool with family and friends,” the Phoenix TV station said. Horne declined repeated requests for an on-camera interview, but a spokesperson issued a statement in response to the story, saying he “believes that if teachers are attending a conference for professional development, they should be going to their classes and not going to the pool during that time.”

The conference provided a lengthy list of classes, giving teachers the opportunity to learn critical skills. “The alcohol was flowing, and our cameras were rolling as dozens of teachers worked on their tans,” the report said, adding, “Our hidden cameras also found several teachers at the bar drinking beers and watching the British Open while classes were underway. We found one teacher by the pool who told us her district spent more than $900 to send her. ‘I felt guilty because the one (class) I paid for yesterday was $40,’ she said. She then told us she didn’t even go.” The TV station also reported teachers brought their families and friends to enjoy the resort, (not identified in the story) some with their superintendants’ permission. The wife of one of the teachers said, “Not too rough at all, especially, for us. We don’t have to attend the meetings; we just get to hangout at the pool.”

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